HPX170 and 35mm adapters

G

Gary Senda

Well-known member
I've just tried my SGPro on my HPX170 and these are the result:

1. no issues for the lens twiggle because the adapter is firmly anchored to the support
2. no issues for follow focus
3. the focus bar and focus histogram work great with backfocus
4. the focus bar and the focus assist also work great with the focus of 35mm lens

Tomorrow I will try to downgrade my SGPro disassembling the flip module and using the camera LCD flip. Anyway this preliminary results seems to indicate that is the best camera for shooting using an adapter.

Don't worry for the twiggle, just set properly your rig and enjoy the other features of this 'adapter friendly' camera because we cannot say the same thing of other cameras

Regards

Gary
 
my lens is one of the many that has the wiggles. but i tested it with my brevis, indifocus follow focus and zacuto rails (as well as a friction wheel on the built in focus ring) last night and it all worked just fine. there was ZERO wiggle issue.

with a properly set up and braced adapter+follow focus i dont see why there would be any effect on the built in lens anyway...

i really enjoyed the factory 72mm lens ring and NOT having to use my 82 mm step down for a change

i say - dont let this "wiggle issue" stand in the way of buying a 170. i cant think of any realistic situation where it would cause any problems
 
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hey gary,

did you have a chance to test just the follow focus with the camera - sans adapter?
if so, what was that result with regard to movement on the lens / image?
 
Underscan/overscan function on monitor is also great using adapters.
I've shooted vignetting free clips and perfectly focused ***without*** using an external monitor.
Focus bar and histogram assist you also when you change the focus from a subject to another: the bar increases, decreases and then increases again when you have focused something else; a real delight when you work with follow focus.

I'm very very happy

Gary
 
davetronic said:
hey gary,

did you have a chance to test just the follow focus with the camera - sans adapter?
if so, what was that result with regard to movement on the lens / image?
Click to expand...

No, I've to buy a suitable ring for the HPX lens. I've used follow focus only with the adapter.

But I don't think there is any problem:

- the FF does not add weight to the lens: if well assembled and if the lens ring is straigth, it simply gently leans on the lens and makes it rotate. Why this should be a problem?
- the wiggle is more evident if you push on the lens hood, because there is a 'lever effect'. If you push directly on the barrel the wiggle is less pronunciated

In other words, to move the lens (less than 1mm) you have to applicate a significant force on the lens hood. This force must be doubled if you push directly on the barrel. No follow focus can stress the lens in this way.

I believe this is really a shock mount and there are no problems if you don't add too much weight on the lens... and adding weight on a camera lens is simply a thing to not do. With every camera.

Regards

gary
 
Re: this "wiggle" issue on the lens of the HPX170 . . .

I came home on Friday night after reading and posting to this thread:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=148822

I was fortunate to still have my HVX200 to compare and contrast with the HPX170. I found that the HPX170 lens does seem to wiggle laterally a bit more than the HVX200. But this shock mount design is a feature (as opposed to a design flaw) of both cameras. I went ahead and built my Brevis rig (with flip mod) around the HPX170. Let me clearly report: there is NO WIGGLE problem. Of course, you need to use common sense and mount your camera with a support system that does not allow for any wiggle room.

I realize that some may try to use a follow focus on a stock HPX170; this may allow for some wiggling. I really don't know because I haven't tried it. And personally, I wouldn't try it because I probably would never bother using a follow focus with my stock HPX170.

So, all in all, my conclusion is that this "wiggle" is a non-issue if you set up your 35mm adapter rig properly (securely).
 
I agree that with the 35MM adapter the HPX170 is a great camera. One of if not the best camera for adapter use.

But I want a camera that can be used all the time, not just with an adapter.
 
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